Singe
"When I see a fortress before me, I never thing of how, but when" The most senior member of the Second Quadrumvirate, the Karthemas general known only as Singe '''was one of the best known commanders of the Enlightened Kingdom of Ra'Tagrass during the Yadran Civil war. An expert in siege warfare and veteran of the Great southeastern war, most of the fortresses, citadels and bunker lines taken by the Enlightened Kingdom were conquered in no small part thanks to Singe's abilities. While he worked well enough with other members of the Quadrumvirate at first, Singe was never known to be liked by his fellow generals. Prone to anger and loathing how other commanders like Katla or Aithusa drew all the attention and glory, Singe slowly became more and more difficult to deal with. His cruelty too grew, as any siege where the defenders did not surrender before the first artillery shell was launched quickly turned into a bloody fight to the death, as Singe would spare no-one. As the remaining three members of the Quadrumvirate seceded from the Enlightened Kingdom, Singe did not follow Aithusa or Tharos, instead choosing to create an empire of his own around the fertile moons of a planet near to the border with the Kingdom of Yadra. Bested by Aithusa during the Iron Clash, Singe and the remains of his forces retreated to turn the moons which had become his kingdom into great fortresses no army would be able to take. He would die defending this "Line of Steel" during the Taking of the Fortress Moons in 2302. Such was the brutality of the fighting which took place there, only his helmet was recovered from the ruins of his last citadel. History Knight of Yadra Born in the Karthema homeworld of Yadrani, Singe was born as the third son in a noble Karthemas house. As a squire, he saw combat during the infamous Fall of Yadra, slaying a number of Biluan drones as the forces of his uncle tried to contain the endless waves of attackers from taking the homeworld. Fighting in a series of old and new castles and other fortresses, it was during this time that Singe first saw the power of fortifications. And also, their weakness. As it happened with nearly all Karthemas, Singe was hit quite hard by their loss against the Biluan mind. Twice, he took part in risky operations to try and save those Karthemas still trapped in Biluan-occupied planets, attempts which ended in failure and the deaths of many. Captain in Fal'Kaboss The next important action that Singe took part on was the Invasion of Fal'Kaboss. As a veteran knight, he was given the command of the levies of one of the capital's defending banners. Beaten several times by the forces of General Telaviin, Singe only managed to contain the Commonwealth advance as he fought under the command of the famous Paragon Blade. Indeed, rumors say that it was thanks to Singe's council that the banners under his command managed to be the last ones to resist by the end of the battle. Despite Singe's efforts, the Banners of the Kingdom could not withstand the Commonwealth's superior numbers, equipment and the skill of their generals. As the Empress surrendered, Singe, like those few knights who survived the bloodshed of that time, was given the choice to either stay or leave for what remained of their once proud kingdom. Singe, unlike others, chose the latter option, his confidence on both himself and the kingdom shattered after the defeat. The Civil War When Ra'Tagrass and its nobles declared that they were the one and true Kingdom of all Karthemas, Singe was more than ready to join and show his worth. As one of the most veteran warriors in the planet, he was confident that he would be given command of the growing banners and thus have a chance to proove his worth not only to all Karthemas, but also himself. Sadly, it was Aithusa who was chosen as the supreme commander. While younger, his list of victories and the confidence of the Kingdom of him was just greater. Bitter, Singe still accepted to become general of one of the banners and a member of the Second Quadrumvirate. His expertise when it came to fortresses would be quite important for years to come. Wanting to show his worth, Singe volunteered his forces to take part in all the most difficult sieges of the Yadran Civil war. In Ra'Tagrass itself, he took several minor fortresses previously taken by loyalists to the Kingdom of Yadra, his slow yet effective tactics earning him much praise, yet not as much as Aithusa, who managed to force the surrender of a 1,000 strong garrison using only threats and promises. During the offensives against the Kingdom of Yadra, Singe once more tried to be the first to clash against the foe and take his territories.Forced to work under the command of Aithusa, his efforts were crucial to the Taking of B99 station, a battle known for the constant back-and-forth between the forces of the Kingdom of Yadra and the Enlightened Kingdom. Thoughts of treason As the members of the Second Quadrumvirate continued with their campaigns, more resources were needed, resources Ra'Tagrass could simply not produce to reach the demands of the generals. Bitter as he thought Aithusa took most of the resources brought from the capital for his own use and that of his armies, Singe began to act more independently, stealing and looting all the equipment his forces needed. Tharos, Aithusa's second and most loyal commander, tried to bridge the gap between both generals. He suggested a meeting, one where both commanders could talk and reach an agreement. Instead, Aithusa's difficult personality and Singe's short temper nearly made both Karthemas come to blows. Only thanks to Taros was no blood spilled. When the generals finally rebelled from the Enlightened Kingdom, Singe had already become a rogue element to both his old masters and fellow generals. Leading his loyal troops and all those he could convince to join with promises of wealth and glory, he made a base in a series of moons he would later turn into his fortresses. King of the Moons As both the Kingdom of Yadra and Enlightened Kingdom of Ra'Tagrass were far to bussy licking their wounds and recovering their wounded armies, Singe's attention turned to his former superior, Aithusa. Knowing he would not be able to take any planets with his small, yet veteran forces, Singe tried to convince his foes' forces to join his side. When this failed and Aithusa demanded he surrendered his forces, Singe decided to instead dare a lightening attack to one of his foe's weaker fortresses. A win, he knew, would show the rebel armies who was the strongest Karthemas and future king of the Kingdom of Yadra. Known by history as the Iron Clash, the battle was a close call as Singe's heavy armor and veteran sappers nearly bested the besieged forces under the command of Tharos. Right as it seemed the fortress would fall however, Aithusa appeared with the core of his armies, the speed and fury of his attack catching Singe by surprise. While he managed to fall back and retreat back to his bases, the Siegemaster lost nearly half his troops and all his heavy armor that day, most of his casualties being members of his forces switching sides during the middle of the battle. The Line of Steel The last chapter in Singe's story was the Taking of the Fortress Moons. A rare, combined effort between the Kingdom of Yadra and the Enlightened Kingdom of Ra'Tagrass saw each and every fortress and citadel taken. Some garrisons surrendered due to hunger or the desire to see the end of the war. Others fought for weeks and even months, be it because of loyalty or what awaited them if they were captured. The fortress held by Singe himself was the last to fall. Due to the brutality of the battle, his corpse was never found amongst the melted ruins of his citadel. Only his winged helmet remained, the head which had once worn it nowhere to be seen. Personality As it happened with many of the knights which took the side of the Enlightened Kingdom of Ra'Tagrass during the civil war, Singe believed in a new Kingdom of Yadra where previous ideals of peace were changed for military might and personal strenght. Indeed, Singe himself was a perfectionist to the core, pushing himself harder than he did anybody else. At the same time, while he tried to behave like a modest general only interested in the victory of his side, the truth was Singe was bitter about the lack of attention his exploits got when compared to those of his fellow generals. This, added by his famously-short temper, made him more and more isolated from other commanders. By the time the other members of the Quadrumvirate rebelled, Singe had already turned rogue, his army following his orders alone. Wargear '''Fortress of Reason: '''Due to Singe's impressive height and muscle power, his armor was amongst the largest ever built for a Karthemas (maybe with the exception of that of the famous Paragon Blade). Covered by layers of special metals and with several shields Singe could turn on and off at will, the armor was so strong it was whispered it could even withstand a direct hit from an artillery shell (a rumor which was never tested). '''The Iron Key: '''Singe's energy-powered warhammer, the "Iron Key" was powerful enough to send enemies flying after a single hit. Still, the weapon was famously slow and only used by Singe during crucial assaults. '''Eviscerator: A weapon which brough fear to friend and foe alike, the eviscerator and its attached light minigun were so powerful, they could turn even armored enemy knights into red mist in a matter of seconds. Category:Kingdom of Yadra Category:Military Commanders Category:Characters